The Military Museum
The fall of Constantinople is depicted with paintings, models and artifacts at the Military Museum. |
This is the chain the defenders used to block the mouth of the Golden Horn. During the Fourth Crusade, some 200 years earlier, the walls on that side of town were the first to collapse, leading to the defeat. |
The Ottomans were unable to break the chain (yellow) but they came up with an interesting solution: they built a wooden road (red) around the Galata fort. They pushed their ships off the water on that road, thus circumventing the chain. This undermined defender’s morale and severed an important supply route from neutral Galata. |
The museum exhibits a nice collection of weaponry, armor (for combat and ceremony) and artillery. |
Click to see high res the Turkish version of the Armenian and Cyprus issues. Summary: a small enemy that can’t be defeated must be a terrorist AND the occupation is, in fact, a liberation! |
In the garden there is a daily fanfare show. |
Old Constantinople
Some of the oldest ruins visible today are the walls of Constantinople, built in the V century by Emperor Theodosius II. Most of the western side still stands, however not much is being done for preservation: there are no steel supports to hold the cracked pieces together and we saw people climbing to the top of them for drinks with cool sights. The access was unrestricted. |
There are at least two large pieces of aqueduct remaining today, and they are of the same age as the walls. |
Water was stored in underground cisterns. At least three are preserved. While visiting, the feeling was very intense. Better than any video game ever imagined! Absolutely remarkable! |
Istanbul
Izmir & Pergamon
This is Izmir, a city on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean see. It has a cute winding road on the side of the beach. |
Not too far North is Pergamon. Originally a Greek colony, it came under Roman and Ottoman rule as the centuries passed. The Acropolis – partially reconstructed – is the main attraction. We’ve seen parts of it also at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Quite nice! |
Pergamon was our last scheduled stop in Asia. Soon after, we were on the Bosphorus bridge, crossing to Europe. We travelled 23,300 km by bike and thousands more by train, plane, ship and bus. |